“In great part, it is man who has slapped nature in the face,” said Pope Francis early this year during a news conference. Although there are multiple causes to global warming, it is undeniable that human activity has significantly changed the climate in unnatural ways. In fact, the uncountable eco-friendly movements worldwide prove that humans hold the irreplaceable responsibility of reviving the Earth and keeping it from getting any worse. Yet, what if this taken-for-granted fact is contradicted?
Over the years, most of the Republican Party candidates have questioned, or even denied, the claim that humans are the main cause behind climate change. Despite the prominent fact that ever since the explosion of human population, non-renewable energy sources have been rapidly used up, the Republicans have eschewed to take active environmental actions. Although some Grand Old Party (GOP) presidential contenders are reconsidering their position and shifting, in preparation of the 2016 United States (U.S.) presidential election, there still remains the anti-environmental stance of the party.
Hidden behind this somewhat incomprehensible insistence are complex interests beyond environmental concerns. Oil, gas and coal industry lobbyists played an active role in helping the Republicans to be elected in last year’s Senate elections. The corporate lobbying network American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is one of them. The lobbyists are now planning to make bad use of the expanded GOP power to block new Obama administration environmental standards, such as the new limits on power-plant emissions.
This will have immediate side effects on the environment and other countries. Not only have they proposed to expand oil drilling in the Alaskan and Atlantic coasts, but also denied new ozone protections. Furthermore, this anti-environmental movement has expanded to Korea. The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) earlier this year released a video clip negating human activity’s role in harming the climate. It turned out that KERI, representing the interests of some major companies, made such a claim to block further regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.
The most profound mistake these people are making is believing that humans possess and rule the environment. However, out of the estimated 4.6 billion years, humans have been sharing the Earth with other species for only a brief amount of time. During this relatively short period, humans have abused the Earth, as a tenant would make a mess out of a house. Humans should be aware that nature is not the subject of anyone’s possession, and even the slightest attempt to make it so is a great illusion.
The biggest problem with those who refuse humanity’s role in climate change is that they cannot answer the following question: “What are they going to do about it, then?” Merely arguing that humans are not to be blamed for environmental deterioration does not mean humans can neglect it all together. Whatever the cause for environmental disaster may be, climate change is happening, and humans as the dominant species on earth and the only living species that can think and act to turn the negative to the positive should take the initiative in protecting the environment.
The power and political structure should not be the reason for thwarting environmental movements. The ecosystem should not be passed over to the hands of the minority chasing for immediate profits, because the value of the environment is universal, transcending time and space. Whereas energy can be replaced by renewable, nature friendly sources and the decisions humans make can be revised and modified, the once-affected environment cannot be restored to its original condition. This is why those who are representatives of the public and have the authority to set new policies ought to be more prudent and wiser in their irrevocable decisions.
Kim Jae Hyun
kjh95@korea.ac.kr